Remember When Kristian Bush Was in a Duo With Meg Ryan’s Brother?

Kristian Bush shot to fame in Sugarland, but before he was famous, he played in another duo that most fans don't know about.

Bush launched his career in Atlanta in the early '90s, playing in a folk-rock duo with another singer-songwriter named Andrew Hyra — whose sister happens to be actress Meg Ryan. They released some work independently with some help from Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls, and came to the attention of Atlantic Records, which signed the duo to a deal.

They had been billing themselves simply as Andrew Hyra & Kristian Bush, but changed their name to Billy Pilgrim upon signing with Atlantic, after the time-traveling protagonist in Kurt Vonnegut's classic novel, Slaughterhouse-Five. Billy Pilgrim released two critically acclaimed albums at Atlantic before being dropped in 1996, after which they continued to release more music independently until 2001, when they ceased to be active.

Bush went on to form Sugarland in 2002, joined by Atlanta-based singer-songwriters Jennifer Nettles and Kristen Hall. Signed to Mercury Nashville in 2004, they broke through with their very first single, "Baby Girl." Hall departed in December of 2005, leaving Bush and Nettles to continue as a duo. They have since scored a long string of hits, becoming one of the most successful acts in country music.